Tag Archives: NOTE

Carlos Beltran left the Mets for San Francisco two summers ago with the hope of playing in the World Series.

Beltran did his part, batting .323 with seven homers in 44 games with the Giants, but it wasn’t to be. Even so, Beltran believes the Mets got the better end of the deal that sent pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to New York.

“It worked out better for them,’’ Beltran recently said. “I thought we were going to go to the playoffs and it didn’t happen. But it is what it is. I took the chance of going to the team that was fighting for a playoff spot and it didn’t work out for me. But it worked out for the Mets.’’

While Beltran has a few more years left to his career, the ceiling seems unlimited for Wheeler, currently sidelined with a strained oblique muscle.

If history taught us anything, it is to not rely on a Mets manager for an injury diagnosis.

So, forgive me if I don’t totally buy into Terry Collins’ declaration of Zack Wheeler’s right oblique strain “is not that bad.’’

Of course, somebody else’s injuries usually aren’t.

Wheeler already missed one start, and the Mets’ current plans have him missing at least one more. The thinking is he’ll have a bullpen session Tuesday and get in a game in three more days. Of course, that’s all predicated on Wheeler coming out of the bullpen with no tightness or pain.

Despite Zack Wheeler saying he would be all right to make his next start, his strained right oblique muscle – classified as mild – will keep him sidelined.

The Mets haven’t determined when Wheeler will throw again, but these things usually have several steps, including long tossing, throwing off the mound and perhaps a batting practice session. Add a day of rest between each step, so do the math.

Sandy Alderson said last night in a conference call there’s no sense rushing Wheeler if he’s not ready, that it is counterproductive. He meant in all areas, and if there’s a physical question Wheeler will sit.

Manager Terry Collins said last year at this time pitchers were throwing batting practice. This year, the Mets have already played a handful of games thanks to the accelerated scheduling because of the World Baseball Classic.

Players are creatures of habit, and that includes offseason preparation. Not being exposed to spring training with the WBC, perhaps Wheeler wasn’t physically ready for his program.

This has always been a concern, that players would be susceptible, especially pitchers, to injury.

SANTANA UPDATE: Assuming no setbacks, the timetable for Johan Santana is to throw off a mound Friday, pitch batting practice or in a “B’’ game Tuesday, then in an exhibition game March 10 or 11.

MURPHY UPDATE:Daniel Murphy, down with a strained intercostal muscle in his right side, is a week to ten days away from playing in a game. That’s pretty much what the Mets said when he was injured several days ago.

FELICIANO UPDATE:Pedro Feliciano has been cleared to resume throwing, but will keep wearing the heart.

It will not be the dream spring training for Zach Wheeler that he might have hoped. After all the Stephen Strasburg comparisons, Wheeler was scratched from today’s start against St. Louis with a mild strain of the oblique muscle.

Wheeler sustained the injury swinging a bat in pregame warm-ups. He said the injury was nothing serious and it felt a little stiff, but that is something we’ve heard numerous times from various Mets – notably Jose Reyes – over the years about this type of injury.

“I’d rather be out one start than two months and be behind the eight-ball when I do come back,’’ Wheeler told reporters. “Early in the spring you don’t want to risk anything. We have a month, or a month and a half, left.’’

Veteran Mets watchers will quickly say it will be more than one start, but he’s right, caution is the way to go on this injury. Muscle strains and muscle pulls always last longer than originally speculated; it’s a baseball variation of Murphy’s Law.